Cubs MLB Roster

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40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full) 

28 players on MLB RESERVE LIST are ACTIVE, and twelve players are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors. 

Last updated 3-26-2024
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 15
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 7
* Michael Busch 
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
* Miles Mastrobuoni
Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
Alexander Canario
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Ben Brown, P 
Alexander Canario, OF 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
* Matt Mervis, 1B 
Daniel Palencia, P 
Keegan Thompson, P 
Luis Vazquez, INF 
Hayden Wesneski, P 

 



 

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Cubs Provide the Healing the Cardinals Require: Birds 3, Cubs 0

Tuesday night in St. Louis...

Joel Piniero, coming off three consecutive losses, recorded the Cardinals' first complete-game shutout of the season. He faced only 28 hitters, threw only 28 non-strikes (never reaching a three-ball count), only allowed one man into scoring position, and dispatched the Cubs in 125 minutes, the Cards' fastest game in almost three years.

Rookie Colby Rasmus, who had just two singles in 25 AB against lefthanded pitching this season, bashed a 2-run homer off of Ted Lilly.

And the Cardinals, who lost three straight to the Brewers in their just concluded series and overall had lost 10 of their previous 14 games, won.

Glad we could help.

Out-of-town scoreboard note: Cubs closer Kevin Gregg, who pitched one shutout inning Tuesday night, now has an ERA of 5.71; former Cubs closer Kerry Wood, who pitched just two-thirds of an inning Tuesday night—and a rollicking two-thirds of an inning it was—now has an ERA of 8.31.

Comments

This news sucks: (Rotoworld) Triple-A Iowa's Brad Snyder suffered a broken hand on Monday. It's a tough break for the former prospect, who is considered out indefinitely. Snyder was getting his career back on track the first six weeks of the season with a .317/.351/.669 line highlighted by 12 home runs and 35 RBI in 35 games.

[ ]

In reply to by MikeC

I think a lot of fans are concerned about that as well. That said, in Vitters favor is the fact that most reports suggest that this isn't a case of a lack of discipline. Most reports suggest he understands the zone real well. It sounds like it's a case where the pitching at the lower levels haven't challenged him enough. For that reason, now that he's heated up, I'd like to see Vitters in Daytona soon. I'm a big Rosa fan, but he's been struggling (and they can shift him to first anyways, which may be Rosa's best spot). But Vitters is the one guy in our system that clearly has stud potential (others may but need more time), and as a fan, I'd like to see if he can adjust in Daytona.

[ ]

In reply to by MikeC

His strikeouts project to 75, which is not a high number, especially if, as you contend, he swings at everything. In A ball, Felix Pie struck out 98 times in 505 at bats. He had four home runs, so he wasn't swinging for the fences. Vitters projects to 28 home runs. I just don't think Pie and Patterson are useful here. Vitters is a line-drive hitter, while Pie has trouble putting the bat on the ball. Patterson hit .261 in AA, worse in AAA, but since he flashed speed and power, they promoted him. Vitters was a singles hitter till about a week ago when he "broke out," so he should start to get more respect in the form of pitches out of the strike zone. I imagine his walks will go up, as will the strikeouts.

(Rotoworld) According to SI.com's Jon Heyman, the Indians are "now fielding offers" for utilityman Mark DeRosa. The Indians are reportedly seeking major league-ready pitching. DeRosa, 34, is batting .242/.312/.412 in 153 at-bats this season and is owed about $4.15 million for the rest of 2009. Heyman suggests the Mets might be a good fit.

[ ]

In reply to by WISCGRAD

I would definitely ponder it, but I don't think we match up with them. If we got DeRosa back (and found a way to move Miles), a bench of Fontenot/Hoffpauir/Freel/Johnson (with DeRosa's flexibility factored in) looks solid. The Indians are a mess, though. I thought they were a bit overhyped entering the year (I thought the Royals would win the AL Central ... very surprised on the Tigers putting it together ... that said, I thought the AL Central was wide open and all 5 had a shot). They put one of their top prospects in the pen for about a week (Hector Rondon) with the idea that he might help them in the pen, but then changed their mind a week later. Grady's been bad. I imagine they'll start shopping folks, starting with DeRosa, maybe Cliff Lee, maybe Victor Martinez. I could see them shop Kerry if the price was right. I'm not sure we match up on DeRosa if the demand is ready pitching, though. There's no way I'd fork over any of the top guys in AA/AAA (Jay Jackson/Jeff Samardzija). The rest I'd ponder, but much as I love DeRo, I'm not sure if I'd go hard on him. ___________________________ Here's another Indians thought - would you try to make a run at Cliff Lee? I'll be the first to say I thought he would slide back this year, but he's been solid. With another year on the deal (8 million 2010 club option), if the price was right, I'd ponder it. That said, I wouldn't fork over Josh Vitters, and I dopoubt this would happen without a t level talent involved, so consider this more of a hypothetical.

Some people have gotten up and played baseball already, while we're sitting here blogging. Casey Lambert (Tennessee) with back-to-back shutouts. (Somebody still has to pitch the ninth). Lambert's pitching line today: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K.

[ ]

In reply to by VirginiaPhil

Twas certainly a nice start for Casey. Statistically, it seems to be a bit smoke and mirrors right now for him, but hey, I didn't have high expectations when he moved into the rotation, so I am very pleased with how he's done. IIRC, Lambert was supposed to start at UVA, but they needed him in the pen, and he was so good, they just kept him there. I imagine we'll see more K's as he gets more time starting. I still think his future is in the pen as a late inning lefty (and I still think he could help us this year), but very pleased with what he's done so far. Maestri came on for 2 shutout. Walks are still a concern, but I've long thought he was similar to Wuertz, and I think Maestri could, in a year or two, be a solid MLB middle relief guy. Clevenger went hitless, Thomas/Barney each had a hit. Blake Lalli had 2 hits, a double. I like Blake. He's a fringe prospect, a bench guy if he makes it up, but he seems like a do-it-all type of guy and I think his bat will play for the upper minors. He got some heat for ARL, which I didn't think was justified since this was is his 3rd full pro season.

[ ]

In reply to by VirginiaPhil

ARL = age relative to league. A lot of people attributed Lalli's success in the lower levels to him being more advanced than the youngsters, and figured that his bat would catch up with him as he moved up the minor leauge levels (one fairly prominent online guy was certain of that a few years ago). I'm not suggesting Lalli will make it in the bigs (if he does, it's as a backup, as he doesn't have enough power, imo, to start at first), just saying I am a fan and I think his bat plays for the upper levels of the minors. Clevenger's defensive work has improved leaps and bounds by most accounts. He might not have Castillo's upside defensively, but I think he's more consistent right now, based on the reports. If he's solid behind the plate, he has a future as a big league backup backstop. If his power this year is "real", then he might be more than that. I think he's definitely jumped ahead of Castillo as the top catcher in the system. The timeline of Vitters and Aramis actually meshes well enough that we probably wouldn't need a guy to cover b/w them (barring Vitters tanking). Of course, this assumes Vitters sticks at 3rd, but for now, it looks likely (timeline - Vitters ends this year at Daytona, does some sort of Daytona/Tennessee with an outside shot at Iowa in 2010, outside shot at bigs in 2011). Depending on the next few weeks, I'd like to see Thomas/Clevenger/Barney at AAA by July. I think the MI's are possible. Not sure about Clevenger, but I wouldn't mind seeing him up there. That said, Hendry likes his older guys at AAA.

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Javier Assad started the Lo-A game (Myrtle Beach versus Stockton) on the Cubs backfields on Wednesday as his final Spring Training tune-up. He was supposed to throw five innings / 75 pitches. However, I was at the minor league road games at Fitch so I didn't see Assad pitch. 

  • crunch (view)

    cards put j.young on waivers.

    they really tried to make it happen this spring, but he put up a crazy bad slash of .081/.244/.108 in 45PA.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Seconded!!!

  • crunch (view)

    another awesome spring of pitching reports.  thanks a lot, appreciated.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Here are the Cubs pitchers reports from Tuesday afternoon's Cardinals - Cubs game art Sloan Park in Mesa:

    SHOTA IMANAGA
    FB: 90-92 
    CUT: 87-89 
    SL: 82-83 
    SPLIT: 81-84
    CV: 73-74 
    COMMENT: Worked three innings plus two batters in the fourth... allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits (six singles and two doubles) walked one, and struck out six (four swinging), with a 1/2 GO/AO... he threw 73 pitches (52 strikes - 10 swing & miss - 19 foul balls)... surrendered one run in the top of the 1st on a one-out double off Cody Bellinger's glove in deep straight-away CF followed one out later by two consecutive two-out bloop singles, allowed two runs (one earned) in the 2nd after retiring the first two hitters (first batter had a nine-pitch AB with four consecutive two-strike foul balls before being retired 3 -U) on a two-out infield single (weak throw on the run by Nico Hoerner), a hard-contact line drive RBI double down the RF line, and an E-1 (missed catch) by Imanaga on what should been an inning-ending 3-1 GO, gave up another run in the 3rd on a two-out walk on a 3-2 pitch and an RBI double to LF, and two consecutive singles leading off the top of the 4th before being relieved (runners were ultimately left stranded)... threw 18 pitches in the 1st inning (14 strikes - two swing & miss, one on FB and the other on a SL - four foul balls), 24 pitches in the 2nd inning (17 strikes - three swing & miss, one on FB, two SPLIT - six foul balls), 19 pitches in the 3rd inning (13 strikes - seven swing & miss, three on SL, two on SPLIT, one on FB - three foul balls), and 12 pitches without retiring a batter in the top of the 4th (8 strikes - no swing & miss - four foul balls)... Imanaga throws a lot of pitches per inning, but it's not because he doesn't throw strikes...  if anything, he throws too many strikes (he threw 70% strikes on Tuesday)... while he gets a ton of swing & miss (and strikeouts), he also induces a lot of foul balls because he doesn't try to make hitters chase his pitches by throwing them out of the strike zone... rather, he uses his very diverse pitch mix to get swing & miss (and lots of foul balls as well)... he also is a fly ball pitcher who will give up more than his share of HR during the course of the season...   
     
    JOE NAHAS
    FB: 90-92 
    SL: 83-85 
    CV: 80-81 
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day... relieved Imanaga with runners at first and second and no outs in the top of the 4th, and after an E-2 catcher's interference committed by Miguel Amaya loaded he bases, Nahas struck out the side (one swinging & two looking)... threw 16 pitches (11 strikes - two swinging)...   

    YENCY ALMONTE
    FB: 89-92 
    CH: 86 
    SL: 79 
    COMMENT: Threw an eight-pitch 5th (five strikes - no swing & miss), with a 5-3 GO for the first out and an inning-ending 4-6-3 DP after a one-out single... command was a bit off but he worked through it...   

    FRANKIE SCALZO JR
    FB: 94-95
    CH: 88 
    SL: 83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 6th inning... got the first outs easily (a P-5 and a 4-3 GO) on just three pitches, before allowing three consecutive two-out hard-contact hits (a double and two singles), with the third hit on pitch # 9 resulting in a runner being thrown out at the plate by RF Christian Franklin for the third out of the inning... 

    MICHAEL ARIAS
    FB: 94-96
    CH: 87-89
    SL: 82-83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and allowed a hard-contact double on the third pitch of the 7th inning (a 96 MPH FB), and the runner came around to score on a 4-3 GO and a WP... gave up two other loud contact outs (an L-7 and an F-9)... threw 18 pitches (only 10 strikes - only one swing & miss)... stuff is electric but still very raw and he continues to have difficulty commanding it, and while he has the repertoire of a SP, he throws too many pitches-per-inning to be a SP and not enough strikes to be a closer... he is most definitely still a work-in-progress...   

    ZAC LEIGH: 
    FB: 93-94 
    CH: 89 
    SL: 81-83 
    CV: 78
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and tossed a 1-2-3 8th (4-3 GO, K-swinging on a sweeper, K-looking on another sweeper)... threw 14 pitches (11 strikes - one swing & miss - eight foul balls)... kept pumping pitches into the strike zone but had difficulty putting hitters away (ergo a ton of foul balls)... FB velo is nowhere near the 96-98 MPH it was a couple of years ago when he was a Top 30 prospect, but his secondaries are better...   

    JOSE ROMERO:  
    FB: 93-95
    SL: 82-84
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 9th (14 pitches - only six strikes- no swing & miss) and allowed a solo HR after two near-HR fly outs to the warning track, before getting a 3-1 GO to end the inning... it was like batting practice when he wasn't throwing pitches out of the strike zone...

  • crunch (view)

    pablo sandoval played 3rd and got a couple ABs (strikeout, single!) in the OAK@SF "exhibition"

    mlb officially authenticated the ball of the single he hit.  nice.

    he's in surprisingly good shape considering his poor body condition in his last playing seasons.  he's not lean, but he looks healthier.  good for him.

  • crunch (view)

    dbacks are signing j.montgomery to a 1/25m with a vesting 20m player option.

    i dunno when the ink officially dries, but i believe if he signs once the season begins he can't be offered a QO...and i'm not sure if that thing with SD/LAD in korea was the season beginning, either.

  • crunch (view)

    sut says imanaga getting the home opener at wrigley (game 4 of the season).

  • crunch (view)

    cubs rolling out the who's who of "who the hell is this guy?" in the last spring game.

  • videographer (view)

    AZ Phil, speaking of Jordan Wicks having better command when he tires a bit, I remember reading about Dennis Lamp 40 years ago and his sinker that was better after 3 or 4 innings when he would tire a bit and get more sink with a little less speed on the pitch.  The key for Lamp was getting to the 4th inning.